Columbia Police said at 7:12 a.m., officers dispatched to a local hospital to contact a 23-year-old female victim. The victim had been walking alone in the 4100 block of Lenoir Street when a male came up behind her and held a knife to her throat. The male suspect attempted to sexually assaut the female, but she was able to fight back.

A passing car stopped to interrupt the suspect. The suspect left running on foot. The suspect was last seen running into a wooded area on the west side of Highway 63, south of Nifong Blvd.